Chapter 16
Judging by the loud Eeyore-like wail from the kitchen, Adam found my emotional support pickle. I chuckle to myself, jostling the mattress, which has once again deflated a little. I wonder what he’s thinking. It’s a gift he’d only understand if he met Addie. She’s all about embracing the random, sentimental moments. My random gifts from Addie include Ginger Spice posters, courtesy of her Spice Girls obsession. Keychain replicas of my favorite drinks and foods including Taro boba, phó noodles, and Frank’s Red Hot Sauce bottles. Addie wakes up every day and eagerly discovers the world. She’s the sunshine of our friend group. I think once upon a time, I used to be like her.
In fact, all of my best friends seem to be adapting to adulthood better than I am. And I haven’t gone through half the challenges they have. Noa became a mother senior year of college. Now she’s going through a divorce. Addie’s parents all but dropped her on her grandmother’s doorstep with a sticky note that said “good luck.” Then she lost her grandma too. Quinn’s mother died the day after her engagement ended. And last but not least, Reese, who keeps her heartbreak close to the chest, was gaslighted by one of the highest grossing rappers of our generation. The world knows him as Petey Pete. She knows him as her childhood love. The man who her father made famous. Now she’s alone and her producer dad is sitting in jail due to his third DUI.
These are big problems. My friends are admirably dealing with their big problems. Why am I constantly under the covers having the most difficult time making sense of this world?
It dawns on me that none of my friends are on social media as much as I am. Is that the problem? Am I experiencing this world through a clouded lens?
There’s a soft knock at the door before it cracks open.
“Hey, summer girl, you up?” Adam whispers.
I surprise him when I quickly pop up into a sitting position on the mattress, leaning against the wall. Still topless, I pull the covers over my tits. “Yes. Did you bring me coffee?” I ask, glancing at the takeout coffee in his hand as he pushes the door open all the way with his foot.
“I did even better,” he replies, holding up the black Styrofoam container in his other hand. “This is from Lucky’s. Best pancakes in the world.”
I smirk at him. “Adam, are you ever not thinking about food?”
He flashes me a wicked smile. “I wasn’t thinking about food for about an hour last night when I had you pinned down on that mattress.” He laughs. “Then again, I believe I still ate.” He smirks, looking thoroughly pleased with himself.
“Oh, no,” I say, rubbing my groggy eyes. “You’re a morning person.”
“Deal breaker?” He sits down next to me after carefully setting the coffee and takeout container on the ground.
“Definitely,” I mumble. “Big ol’ red flag.”
He chuckles before pulling down the comforter, exposing my tits. “Good morning,” he says and kisses my forehead. “Good morning, good morning,” he says to each of my nipples after giving them a little kiss. “Sorry if I woke you up.”
“You didn’t. I’ve been awake, lying in bed. I thought you snuck out on me this morning.”
He squints one eye, his forehead wrinkling. “Why the hell would I do that?”
“Last night was sweet, but you don’t owe me your Saturday. I thought we said this was a no strings attached situation?” I shrug and pull the blanket back up, covering myself.
“I think we’ve evolved from that.”
I squint at him. “It’s been like four days. We evolved in less than a week?”
“Do you like white chocolate mochas?”
I nod as Adam exhales and reaches for the coffee on the ground, then hands it to me.
“Look, I found the baby toy in the kitchen.”
“Huh?” I rack my brain, trying to remember if Carson left something here.
“Just listen. I can’t sit back and watch you go through this knowing I could easily help. On the other hand, I get you don’t want me to save you. So what about an agreement?”
The latte is lukewarm by now, so I take two giant gulps, hoping the caffeine will hit my bloodstream and suddenly Adam will start making sense. “What are we talking about again?”
“I’ll pay for the IVF—”
“Adam,” I interrupt sternly.
“Let me finish,” Adam insists, holding up his palms. “It’s conditional. I get something out of it too. I want us to sign an agreement.”
I clear my throat and peer at him through slits. “Did you fall down, bump your head, and suddenly decide you want to father a child?”
He shakes his head, placing his hand on my knee through the comforter. “I’ll pay for your IVF with a donor, is what I mean.”
“Oh.” I’ll admit, that’s a little disappointing, but after what Adam told me last night, I’m not surprised he’s not ready to leap back into a insta-family situation. “What do you mean it’s conditional? What would you get out of it?”
“I love being Uncle Adam. The time I get to spend with Carson is everything to me. But it’s usually brief. Between Alex and Tara, and her family, I don’t get to see him often. It’d be nice to be part of another kid’s life.”
“Uncle Adam,” I repeat softly. Where is he going with this? “Okay, so what does this agreement entail exactly?”
“I pay for as many rounds of IVF as you need. During your pregnancy, all the hospital bills will go to me. I want to meet the baby as soon as you let me. Also, moving forward, I’d also like to be invited to at least one holiday a year. And I mean a major holiday.”
“Gotcha, so Thanksgiving, Christmas, Mardi Gras.”
“Exactly—wait what?” He scrunches up his face. “Mardi Gras isn’t a major holiday.”
“Au contraire.”
“I clearly still have a lot to learn about you,” he says with a light chuckle.
“Adam, this is a little crazy, don’t you think?”
“Is it? Or is this maybe a way we can have a family that never has to break up. Even if there’s nothing more to you and me than this summer, that baby will always have all the support it needs. I don’t want any arguments from you if I set up a savings account for the baby, and I want you to call me if you guys ever need anything. Money, support, a friend. I want to be your first call.”
Disregarding my coffee breath, I lean over to kiss his smooth cheek. “I don’t understand, Adam. That’s all wonderful, but what do you get out of this?”
“A chance to right a wrong. I get to do things right this time and see this baby through.”
He’s really serious. I don’t understand the guilt he carries from his divorce, but it’s apparent in his strained, pleading expression. A baby between me and Adam? As…friends? Could this honestly help heal both of us?
“If I agree, this would tie us to each other forever. You get that, right? Dating or not. You’re ready to commit right now to a lifetime of me?”
He nods with a growing smirk on his face. “I think I can handle it.”
After taking another swig of the sweet latte, I set it aside. “I don’t know. This is seriously nuts. It’s not supposed to go this way. You’ve been social media stalking me for like what, a year? We’ve been flirting for barely more than a month. We slept together once. Isn’t this too fast?”
He balks at me, then rolls his eyes. “Are you ever going to stop with the stalking jokes?”
“No,” I say simply. “My point is, we’re talking about a child. We still are so far away from that. It’s supposed to go first comes love, then marriage, then the baby and the carriage. Not first comes…forever.”
He cocks his head to the side and reaches over, smoothing his thumbs under my eyes. “Here’s hoping the baby gets these freckles.”
“Are you really sure? You’ve thought this through?”
“Yes, I’m sure. In fact, I’m going to need you to sign something. Hang on.” He hoists himself off the wobbly mattress and exits the bedroom. When he returns a few moments later, he has my emotional support pickle in one hand and a folded piece of paper and a pen in his other hand.
“Check your answer and sign by the ‘X’,” he says as he hands me the paper and pen.
I have to muster all my strength not to openly weep when I read the note. Will you have a baby with me? Check yes or no.
I clear my throat, blinking hard to try to keep my composure. “The Bs are backward.”
Adam laughs. “Yeah, as an adult that’s actually hard to do. And I don’t have a butterfly notary stamp, but I’ll take this as official if you do.”
I give him a small nod, sucking in my lips. Ah, fuck it. I’m going to cry. But at least this time these are tears of overwhelming happiness and gratitude. “All the pictures and at least one holiday a year, I promise.” I check the yes box and scribble my name on the note, just for good measure.
“Good.” He turns to grab the takeout container, setting it on the mattress between us and proceeding to cut up the lemon-flavored pancakes. My stomach surges awake at the aroma and I’m reminded that I’m starving. My appetite has been nonexistent with all the stress, but with Adam constantly around feeding me, I’m bound to gain a few happy pounds.
He pierces a wedge of the stacked pancakes with the plastic fork and dabs it in the thick yellow custard and whipped cream topping. “Open up,” he says before pushing the fork into my mouth.
All he hears is my appreciative moans as I try to chew with my mouth closed.
“Do you like it?” he asks. I respond by swallowing my bite and opening my mouth again, requesting another bite.
“Good girl. You don’t eat enough. I’m going to fix that.” He sets the little stuffed pickle next to me before proceeding to prep another fork full of the fluffy, lemon-flavored pancakes. “Now you’ll get to give that to your baby after all.”
“This is what you meant earlier by the baby toy?”
“Yeah, I mean, you were clearly manifesting.” Adam holds out another bite of pancakes for me to take. “Broke my heart that you’re out here buying baby items and to have all that ripped away from you. I just couldn’t watch that happen.”